To solve the difficulty of storing and transporting yak butter, yak butter microcapsule powders were prepared using a mixture of maltodextrin and sodium caseinate as the wall material, a mixture of molecular distilled monoglycerides and sucrose ester as the emulsifier and guar gum as the stabilizer by vacuum freeze-drying or spray drying. The basic physicochemical properties (moisture content, solubility, rheology, surface oil content, encapsulation efficiency, and yield), microscopic structure, and thermal stability of the two as-prepared samples were compared. The results showed that the microencapsulated powders prepared by the two methods were milky white in color and free of impurities, and had a fresh aroma. Both of them exhibited high encapsulation efficiency, (90.17 ± 1.07)% and (92.12 ± 0.32)%, respectively. The yield of freeze-dried microcapsule powders, (98.42 ± 0.38)%, was significantly higher than that of spray-dried microcapsule powders, (25.77 ± 1.34)%, and the average particle size (D[4,3] = 16.695 μm) was smaller than that of spray-dried powder (D[4,3] = 24.945 μm). The solubility and fluidity of the spray-dried powder were superior to those of the freeze-dried powder. Under a scanning electron microscope (SEM), the surface of spray-dried powder was smooth and spherical in shape, while the freeze-dried powder was irregular. The thermal stability of the spray-dried powder was better. In summary, when considering economic benefits, the spray-dried powder holds greater significance for industrial production.

Kombucha, also known as Haibao, is a traditional acidic tea beverage fermented by a symbiotic culture of lactic acid bacteria, acetic acid bacteria and yeast. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated and purified from kombucha and the purified strains were identified. The results showed that a total of 4 LAB strains (XC, XD, XL and XQ) were isolated and they were all identified as Lactobacillus plantarum. These strains entered the stationary growth phase after 14 h. For all four strains, both the pH value and titratable acidity declined during their growth. The optimal inoculum size for XC, XD and XQ was 4%, while that for XL was 6%. The optimal growth temperature for these strains was 30 ℃ and none of them was resistant to salts. All these strains had different tolerance to bile salts and acidity and XQ was the most tolerant among them.

The dipeptidyl peptidase-Ⅳ (DPP-Ⅳ) inhibitory activity and physicochemical properties of yak milk casein hydrolysates produced with alcalase, papain and trypsin were investigated. The effect of hydrolysis periods and different proteases on the DPP-Ⅳ inhibitory activity of yak milk casein hydrolysates was assessed by DPP-Ⅳ inhibitory rate. The physicochemical properties of yak milk casein hydrolysates were evaluated by degree of hydrolysis, trichloroacetic acidnitrogen soluble index (TCA-NSI), solubility and ash content. Results showed that the DPP-Ⅳ inhibitory activity of yak milk casein hydrolysate obtained with papain was significantly higher than that of those obtained with alcalase or trypsin at the same hydrolysis period (P < 0.05). The yak milk casein hydrolysate obtained after 0.50 h hydrolysis with papain displayed the highest DPP-Ⅳ inhibitory activity (with inhibitory rate of (53.95 ± 1.57) %), higher extent of hydrolysis degree, and the lowest ash content. The results suggest that peptides with DPP-Ⅳ inhibitory activity can be generated from yak milk casein. The yak milk casein hydrolysate produced by papain may be used as a functional dairy ingredient to develop functional foods.